Missing Ella

by Helen Idris-Jones

Grace Carmichael’s desperate search for her long-lost daughter Ella unravels a tapestry of buried family secrets. Fourteen years of anguish and a recent diagnosis push Grace to confront the painful past she’s long avoided.
As Grace delves deeper, she navigates a labyrinth of denial and desperation, uncovering the devastating impact of long-held family secrets that have fractured relationships across generations. The truth lies locked in the complex mind of Ella’s twin sister, Beatrice, now living in London - a Pandora’s box of betrayal and suffering.
Fuelled by a mother’s love and an unbreakable determination, Grace pushes forward despite mounting obstacles. As the police reopen Ella’s case, Grace finds herself targeted by those who prefer the past to remain buried. Her ex-husband’s hostility and Beatrice’s stubborn silence form a suffocating web of manipulation and deceit.
Grace’s heart aches in her darkest moments, wondering if she’ll ever uncover the truth or find Ella, her desperation growing with each passing day. But she can’t give up – not when she’s so close. As the truth dawns on Grace, she finds herself face-to-face with her own demons. Her resolve is firm as she finally sets out to break the cycle of secrets that has tormented her family for so long.
Will Grace’s journey lead to retribution or reconciliation? Can she heal the wounds of the past and reunite her shattered family? Or will the dark secrets remain buried forever?
A gripping tale of psychological suspense that explores the depths of family loyalty, the power of resilience, and the long road to recovery.

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 2, 2024

Reviews

[Rhiann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline of this book is incredibly strong, the dark themes and characterisation is incredibly relatable and hard hitting to read. I found some of the topics explored harrowing and this is why I have given it four stars. I feel for future novels of this nature from this author, trigger warnings should be stated beforehand as I was unaware of the full extent of the nature of this novel and it could trigger future readers.

SPOILER: The characters such as Grace, Adam and Janet were all realistic and one could imagine knowing them in real life. Grace’s alcoholism is incredibly sad to read throughout the novel, but you understand why she has this addiction due to her dark past. I feel like the writer has put in a lot of effort and has created a brilliant world with depth. The darker characters in this novel such as Beatrice were very compelling and drew you in, I can understand how Adam fell into her trap.

The other strength is that I wanted to keep reading and find out what happens to Ella and Grace- I was rooting for their happy ending due to the torment they have endured in their lives. The ending was satisfying but felt like it could have been fleshed out, especially Adam’s perspective.

Additionally, I think this book needed a longer time in the editing process. Some of the language used to describe characters was unclear. Beatrice described a character Nicole as ‘obnoxious’ because she had coconut oil in her weave, she was also described as having a ‘hefty’ arse. It was later revealed in the story that Nicole was a POC character. I was unsure as the reader if the description of Nicole was Beatrice’s view or poor language choice. There were also a few grammatical errors such as speech marks when nobody was speaking.

Overall, this was a great debut novel as the story is unique and I could not put it down- I could imagine it adapting well to the screen! Great read.

[Trevor Stubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe three stars is a bit harsh. As in others of this genre, how the book ends is crucial. It disappoints, and I had to reread the penultimate chapter because I began with the wrong premise. It could have made more of the characters in the final fifth. But I did not put the book down.

[Louise Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book whilst on holiday. Loved the different characters. Each character having their own psychological battles. Great first novel by Helen Idris Jones. Would highly recommend!

[Helen Idris-Jones]

I would like some review of my book!

[Dennis Loynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Idris - Jones debut novel is excellent. Absorbing and page turning with riveting charachters.
Well worth a read.

[helen jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping psychological thriller that twists and turns.